Joe Mauer – Page 9 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikings GM Willing to Take Risks

Posted on April 21, 2020April 21, 2020 by David Shama

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman leads the Vikings in the NFL Draft this week, and his past profile tells fans to prepare for surprises.

Minnesota has two first round draft choices and 12 overall in the seven round event that starts Thursday and continues through Saturday. It seems likely Spielman will trade picks during the 2020 draft, perhaps in the first round.

In the last three drafts, Spielman made multiple trades to maneuver for college players he wanted. More of that makes sense given the club’s many needs including at cornerback, wide receiver and in the offensive line.

Spielman, now in his ninth season as Minnesota’s GM and 30th working in the NFL, is in the last year of his contract. The pressure is on him to reshuffle a roster that has both strength and soft spots by coming up with a winning draft list, and making moves to sign free agent veterans in the weeks ahead (or even in the next few days).

Spielman’s history has consistently been that of a leader not afraid to take risks. He hired Mike Zimmer even though the longtime NFL defensive coordinator had never been a head coach. Just before the season started in 2016 he traded for Sam Bradford, a veteran quarterback known as much for his injuries as his skills.

A couple of years ago Spielman set a Vikings and NFL payroll record by giving free agent Kirk Cousins a guaranteed $84 million deal, and then this offseason signing the inconsistent quarterback to a rich contract extension. Last month he also traded star wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Bills for the No. 22 pick in the first round of Thursday night’s draft.

You decide whether to label Spielman “Trader Rick,” but there is no doubt one of the NFL’s most intriguing storylines Thursday night will be what the Vikings do in the first round. Their first round picks at No. 22 and No. 25 might be leveraged to move up in the draft, or one of them could be used to acquire two draft picks in the second round.

A headline maker would have the Vikings dealing to move into the top dozen picks of the first round. There they could acquire one of the draft’s biggest prizes among corners, offensive linemen and wide receivers. A low-risk-high-reward draftee is Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs. If the Vikings could draft Wirfs to play right tackle and sign Washington Redskins free agent left tackle Trent Williams, the moves would provide a lot of security for star running back Dalvin Cook and Cousins, who often falters under pressure in the pocket.

Worth Noting

At Spielman’s pre-draft news conference this afternoon he wouldn’t describe the 2020 draft as the biggest or most important he has led, but did acknowledge the “evolution period of our roster” and the many spots that need to be filled.

Spielman expects a lot of contributions right away from this year’s draft choices, and plans to add to the rookie pool next week with free agent signings. He said the goal of growing the roster from the present 60 total to 90 can also be aided by signing veteran free agents and acquiring players via what he termed “minor trades.”

This is a particularly deep draft for wide receivers. Spielman expressed optimism the Vikings could find quality even in the fourth and fifth rounds.

Spielman expects the Vikings will be playing inexperienced cornerbacks next season. While that is a position of need, the GM said corners the Vikings select need to fit their scheme and have traits liked by the team’s coaches.

Other teams have been calling Spielman in regard to possible draft choice swapping that could have his club moving up or back in the draft.

Former Viking Bob Lurtsema predicted to Sports Headliners last year that Minnesota would use its first round pick to select center Garrett Bradbury. Now what about 2020? “I think they will draft a wide receiver with speed,” Lurtsema said.

The first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday begins at 7 p.m. Minneapolis time. Start times for Friday (rounds 2 & 3) and Saturday (rounds 4 thru 7) are 6 p.m. and 11 a.m. respectively.

Casey O’Brien, the University of Minnesota football player whose triumphs against cancer have been a national story, is on track to be cancer free next month. His father Dan O’Brien said a spot found on Casey’s lung last January was removed surgically earlier this year and the junior holder is finishing up chemo treatments. Casey will have his degree from the Carlson School of Business in December.

With the pandemic going on and no sports being played, WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” show has been sidelined for more than a month. Dave Mona, co-host of the show since 1981, said the program will resume when Minnesota sports start up again.

The high school sports season in Minnesota is still a possibility, even if it’s a long shot. In the best scenario, spring sports will start in early May and continue through the end of June.

Anyone have a mint condition Fleer 1986 Michael Jordan #57 card? Heritage Auctions online website says it could be worth $30,000 and more.

Todd Woodcroft, who worked with multiple NHL organizations in various positions including the Minnesota Wild, is the new head men’s hockey coach at Vermont.

Joe Mauer, who retired after the 2018 season and turned 37 years old Sunday, still wouldn’t be the oldest player on the Twins roster, with that distinction going to DH Nelson Cruz who will be 40 in July.

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Twins Tony O’ on Luis Arraez: ‘Tough Out’

Posted on August 20, 2019August 22, 2019 by David Shama

Twins rookie Luis Arraez has been turning heads since being called up from AAA Rochester last spring, and among those impressed is Tony Oliva who had one of the greatest MLB seasons ever for a first-year player.

In 1964 the Twins right fielder hit .328 and became the first rookie in modern history to win a batting title. He topped the American League in hits, runs and doubles. He also totaled 374 total bases, tying the record set by Hal Trosky in 1934 for most total bases by a first-year big leaguer.

Oliva, who left Cuba in the early 1960s to begin his professional baseball journey, is now an 81-year-old hitting instructor for the Twins. He is in the clubhouse for each home game and has become acquainted with the 22-year-old Arraez who is hitting .348 after 59 games in the big leagues. In the minors the Venezuelan infielder-outfielder had a .331 average through parts of six seasons, per Baseball-reference.com.

That kind of success in the minors somewhat prepared Oliva for Arraez’s hot hitting this spring and summer in the big leagues. “I am not surprised that he is hitting (so well) because he be hitting very good every single year while he was in the minor leagues,” Oliva told Sports Headliners. “But I get a little surprised…that he is doing so well, he got so much…confidence. He is a very tough out. He hits to the whole field. He doesn’t strike out too often. Ninety-nine percent of the time he swing (at) a strike.”

Arraez is a left-handed hitter, like Oliva was, and if he can maintain his batting average he will remain a candidate for American League Rookie of the Year. With 231 plate appearances so far, Arraez won’t have enough to qualify this season for the league batting championship (502 required).

Arraez’s discipline at the plate is impressive, particularly for such a young player. His bat control allows him to hit a balanced number of baseballs to left, center and right field. The way he sprays the ball to all fields is reminiscent of another Twins great, left-handed hitting second baseman and National Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew who won seven AL batting titles.

Arraez has played mostly second base for the Twins but has contributed to the roster’s versatility by also taking assignments at shortstop, third base and left field. He has committed only four errors this season. It seems all but certain the Twins will let 27-year-old second baseman Jonathan Schoop go in the offseason and make Arraez the regular at the position in 2020. Schoop has just a one-year deal with Minnesota.

With Arraez having played in so few games with the Twins, Oliva isn’t ready to go overboard on the newcomer. “It’s easy to get here, but it’s very hard to stay here,” Oliva said. “He could stay here for a long time.”

But Arraez is definitely in good company so far during his brief MLB career. Just last week Twins media specialist Dustin Morse Tweeted that Arraez’s 66 hits in his first 55 games placed him fourth among club rookies dating back to 1961—behind Kirby Puckett at 81, Oliva, 71 and Carew, 70.

Worth Noting

The Twins, who lead the second place Indians by two games, have a favorable schedule the remainder of this month, facing only the While Sox and Tigers who have a combined record of 93 wins, 153 losses. The Indians, by contrast, have a schedule that includes two games against the 73-53 Rays and a series against the above .500 Mets, while playing all their remaining August dates on the road except for a series against the Royals. The Twins have two series at home, two on the road.

The first 10,000 fans in attendance for Saturday’s Twins home game against the Tigers receives the third in a set of four commemorative Joe Mauer bobbleheads. The collectible features Mauer with his 2009 American League MVP, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

A hockey source predicted the Minnesota Wild will announce its new general manager this week, perhaps today. He also told Sports Headliners star defenseman Ryan Suter is among those who owner Craig Leipold has sought input from.

Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen talking about the time needed to develop chemistry between a quarterback and his receivers: “It takes a long time to get on the same page as the quarterback because there are so many different situations. … You are always still working on it, but it is definitely better to be in a second year with a quarterback (Kirk Cousins) than a first year.”

Cousins has talked with Vikings legend Fran Tarkenton who despite being a highlight reel scrambling quarterback admits to running a 4.9 40-yard dash, a time slower than run now by some NFL offensive linemen.

No fun to write this but fan apathy must be dramatic for the Gophers to announce $10 tickets going on sale later this week for the home opener with South Dakota State.

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Vikings’ Cook Looks Like ‘Mr. Breakout’

Posted on July 14, 2019July 14, 2019 by David Shama

Enjoy a Sunday notes column that leads off with Vikings third-year running back Dalvin Cook.

Do the simplest search of Cook’s name on Google and see the word “breakout” come up on your screen. Anticipation is prevalent that the sometimes injured Cook will be healthy and rank near the top among NFL comeback players in 2019.

The Vikings made it clear during spring practices their new assistant coaches will have the offense prioritizing running the football next season. No one is more important to achieving that goal than Cook who as a rookie in 2017 ran for 354 yards in his first four games before injuring his left knee and missing the rest of the season.

Last season he wasn’t always healthy but managed to play in 11 games, starting 10 and rushing for 615 yards, averaging an impressive 4.8 yards per carry. That is the kind of production the Vikings expected when they selected the former Florida State running back in the early second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

The Vikings will open training camp later this month with high expectations from the explosive runner if he is healthy. He can be one of the NFL’s better rushers and balance an offense that starts with expensive quarterback Kirk Cousins and two of the league’s best receivers in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. “…We expect Dalvin, the way he’s looked and if he can stay healthy, to have a big breakout season this year,” Vikings general manager Rick Spielman told Sports Headliners.

The Vikings have even changed their blocking scheme to more effectively blend the pass and run. “There’s no doubt about with what we’re doing offensively (emphasis on running), he’s going to get a lot of opportunity in the games,” Spielman said.

Backing up Cook could be rookie Alexander Mattison, a third round draft selection from Boise State who had consecutive 1,000-plus yard seasons for the Broncos. At 5-11, 220-pounds, he is powerfully built, and Spielman is excited about the rookie.

“He’s one of those guys, when you have to run the clock out, he has the ability to get extra yards after contact, keep the chains moving,” Spielman said. “But the thing that I think that surprised me a little bit was how well he caught the ball out of the backfield and how quickly he has picked up pass protection. …”

Tre Jones, the Duke sophomore point guard who played at Apple Valley, is the No. 8 college basketball player in the country for next season, per Andy Katz. The college basketball authority listed his top 25 players Friday on NCAA.com. Michigan State guard Cassius Winston ranked No. 1, while no Golden Gophers made the top 25 or a list of 15 honorable mention players that included Minnesota native McKinley Wright, who will be a junior guard at Colorado in the fall.

It would be an odd development but not unprecedented if New York Mets starter Zack Wheeler switches uniforms to the Twins this week. The Mets open a two-game Interleague series with the Twins on Tuesday and Minnesota is searching for trades to bolster the pitching staff. Wheeler is 6-6 this season, with 130 strikeouts in 119 innings.

Giants starting ace Madison Bumgarner’s name is linked to the Twins and other clubs regarding a possible July trade. The July 15 issue of Sports Illustrated points out the Giants, who already are out of contention to win the NL West Division, also have trade chips in bullpen pitchers with strong resumes—Sam Dyson, Will Smith and Tony Watson.

Sports Illustrated’s Joe Sheehan, writing in the current issue, refers to the surprising Twins “as real” after a pre-All-Star Game Break performance that had them leading the majors in home runs and taking first place in the AL Central. “They simply have more talent than the second-place Indians and will win their first division title in nine years,” Sheehan said.

Any chance 36-year-old Joe Mauer, in his first season of retirement, will contemplate a comeback next year? “No, I am good,” he told Sports Headliners.

What words would the former Twins great want on his tombstone? “Well, that’s a great question. A good person, and obviously I love to compete, and I love to play baseball. Just a good person, a good teammate and a good family man.”

Wild left wing Jason Zucker talking about next season: “I think a 30 goal season is something that I not only look forward to but something I know I can do. So that’s definitely where I am at.”

Zucker had 33 goals during the 2017-18 season, the only time he has scored 30 or more. The 27-year-old has spent his eight year NHL career with the Wild and his name has been rumored in trade talks. Zucker said the positive about that is other teams apparently want him, but he loves being part of this community.

Vikings single game digital tickets go on sale to the general public starting at 10 a.m. Thursday. Preseason ($20 and up) and regular season ($62 or more) tickets are available online only via Ticketmaster.

University of Iowa football single game tickets also go on sale Thursday, with $80 the cost to see the Gopher game in Iowa City on November 16. Among Iowa’s seven home games, that is the highest single game price except for Penn State at $95. (Youth tickets are $25 for all Hawkeye home games.)

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